Government minister insists Clean Air Zone will not amount to a congestion charge as claimed by petition

The government has insisted that Greater Manchester’s Clean Air Zone would not amount to a ‘congestion charge’ ahead of a consultation on the plan coming to a close.

Heavy polluting vehicles such as buses, coaches, lorries, vans and taxis would be charged for using the region’s roads in a bid to improve air quality by 2024.

The Clean Air Zone would be the largest of its kind in the UK but will not include restrictions on private cars, under plans that were consulted on until Thursday 3 December.

Regional leaders and the government have been locked in a stalemate over financial support for businesses affected by the plans since they were first unveiled in early 2019.

But opposition to the daily charges has recently gained traction with thousands signing a petition against Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham’s ‘crippling congestion tax’.

Non-compliant buses and lorries would pay £60 a day to drive within the Clean Air Zone, with vans paying £10 and taxi and private hire vehicles paying £7.50.

The issue was raised by Mark Logan, Conservative MP for Bolton North East, during a parliamentary debate on air quality on 26 November.

He asked environment minister Rebecca Pow how his constituents could ‘avoid a future of £15 congestion taxes’.

In response, Ms Pow said: “I assure him that only the most polluting older vehicles are charged in a Clean Air Zone, and it is not a congestion charge.

“The Greater Manchester plan does not include charging private cars, and the evidence provided by Manchester authorities to date shows that this is not needed.”

The comments appear to contradict the petition launched in November by Laura Evans, the Tory candidate for next year’s Greater Manchester mayoral election.

It calls on Andy Burnham to scrap plans for a so-called congestion tax on self-employed people and small businesses needing vehicles for work.

Ms Evans, a former Trafford councillor, has put forward her own plan to reduce carbon emissions which include a scrappage scheme, new traffic measures on congested roads, and more electric charging points.

But Mr Burnham, referencing both Ms Pow’s remarks and the petition in his weekly coronavirus press conference on Wednesday (2 December), said: “I think it’s best if we leave politics out of it.

“Let’s not confuse the public by claiming [the Clean Air Zone plans] are something they are not. 

“The petition that is going round to that effect is clearly a false prospectus.”

The Clean Air Zone proposals are significantly different to what was proposed before the Covid-19 pandemic, with the highest daily charge dropping from £100.

Greater Manchester is also asking for more money from the government – £150m – to cover the cost of businesses switching to cleaner vehicles, and to pay for a hardship fund for those facing additional financial concerns.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has so far committed £41m towards the Clean Air Zone, with further funding said to be on the way.

Niall Griffiths, Local Democracy Reporter